HOW I MANAGE MY MONEY: PUB SUPERVISOR, ON £2,800 A MONTH, WITH £9,000 OF DEBT

In our How I Manage My Money series, we aim to find out how people in the UK are spending, saving and investing money to meet their costs and achieve their goals.

This week, we speak to Pietro Masciangelo, 64, who lives in Connah’s Quay, Wales, with his husband, Marco, 55. Pietro has £9,000 worth of credit card debt and wants to improve his credit score. He says he will need to keep working into his seventies and will receive the UK state pension and the Italian equivalent in later life.

Monthly budget

My monthly income: Before tax and deductions, the income from my job as a floor and bar supervisor in a pub is £2,800 a month. My husband does not work.

My monthly outgoings: Rent, £450; council tax, £150; groceries, £200; electricity, £95; water, £30; petrol, £100; car finance, £180; personal loan repayment, £160; broadband, £33; mobile, £15; eating out, day trips and holidays, £200, but this is variable; credit card repayments, £600. I add about £100 a month via auto-enrolment to a workplace pension. 

I was born in Turin, Italy. My mother worked as a lawyer while my father was a Carabinieri commander [Italian law enforcement] before becoming an accountant. Growing up in Turin wasn’t always easy, but it made me the man I am today.

Even though it wasn’t financially necessary, after my father died when I was 19, I decided to start working to help my family. I wanted to make my own money to go out with friends and buy a car.

While still in Italy, I got a job as a receptionist at a hotel. I soon started working in other hotels around Italy, before spending three years working in hotels in the US.

A few years later, I ended up opening two clothing shops in Italy, one a men’s clothing store and the other a beauty salon. Next, my husband Marco and I managed a hotel in Acqui Terme, Italy, and two bed and breakfasts in Lucca. My income has fluctuated a lot over the years, having ranged from around £25,000 to £45,000 a year.

I moved to the UK eleven years ago and now work as a floor and bar supervisor at a pub in the village of Tattenhall. I’ve worked at the pub for eight years and earn £2,800 a month before deductions.

I work between 45 and 50 hours a week and do a number of different roles during my shifts. We’re a single-income household as my husband does not work.

Marco has helped me change my relationship with money for the better over the years. When I was a younger man, I would spend all the money I earned. I try to be more careful now.

The cost of living in the UK has increased since I have been here, but at least there is a national minimum wage in place. This is not the case in Italy, where there is no single legally mandated national minimum wage.

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I have eight credit cards and am paying off £600 in credit card debt each month. My total credit card debt is £9,000. Getting into debt on credit cards didn’t happen by chance. I used credit cards to pay for gifts, holidays, trips to restaurants, dental treatments and travel expenses.

I’ve also taken out two personal loans to help with purchases. One was for £5,000 and the other was £12,000, with the latter used for my car.

I am working to increase my credit score and am trying to ensure I reduce unnecessary credit card spending and debt. If I use my credit cards, I now always endeavour to pay them off in full each month.

I now check my credit score regularly and make a note of any changes to it.

As I am paying off my credit card debts and personal loans, I am not adding any money to savings and investments. Once my debts are paid off, I would consider opening a cash Isa with my existing bank.

I don’t have a strategy when it comes to saving money in pensions and I think I will need to continue working for at least the next 10 years. Once I reach the state pension age, my income won’t be as much as it is now, meaning I’ll still need to work.

Once I finally retire from full-time work, I can still see myself working part-time. When I am older, I will get the UK state pension and the equivalent from Italy.

From the calculations I have done, it looks like my UK state pension spanning just over a decade will be broadly the same as the one I’ll get via Italy, with almost 30 years of contributions.

We rent a one-bedroom flat in Wales and have no plans to buy a property. Marco’s parents own a property and once they pass away, we may consider selling it and using the proceeds as an additional source of income.

Looking ahead, I just want enough money to satisfy my needs. I have no great desire to earn lots more money and am more interested in maintaining a peaceful and healthy life.

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2026-02-16T06:19:39Z